Week 12 awards: Jets' Mark Sanchez is knucklehead of the week

Nov. 26, 2012
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New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez gets up from the turf after being hit during the second half on Thanksgiving against the New England Patriots at Metlife Stadium. Patriots defeated the Jets 49-19. / Ed Mulholland, U.S. Presswire

by Jim Corbett, USA TODAY Sports

by Jim Corbett, USA TODAY Sports

When his team's season began sliding south weeks ago, New York Jets coach Rex Ryan's argument for sticking with quarterback Mark Sanchez over lightning-rod backup Tim Tebow was that Sanchez gave the Jets "the best chance to win."

Did he say win ... or wince?

On Thanksgiving night, Sanchez had families howling as they watched from their living rooms when the Jets quarterback ran headlong into right guard Brandon Moore's backside and fumbled. New England Patriots safety Steve Gregory scooped up the ball and returned the fumble for a touchdown on the way to a 49-19 blowout.

This wasn't Sanchez as a rookie caught by television cameras eating a hot dog while sitting on the bench in Oakland . And it wasn't Sanchez last season when he lined up out wide for a wildcat snap against the Buffalo Bills, flinching backward like a scared cat when cornerback Drayton Florence faked a menacing run at him.

No, this was a fourth-year quarterback missing a handoff to fullback Lex Hilliard, then, providing a train wreck of a season's punchline - a play that will live in YouTube immortality for a franchise and a franchise quarterback sorely lacking in vision.

The Tebow trade in March was supposed to make Sanchez better. Instead, it has arguably left him worse.

Jets icon Joe Namath, in an interview on ESPN New York 98.7, wondered how Sanchez could miss a butt that big.

"It's mindboggling. Are your eyes closed?" Namath said. "You don't see where you're going? I don't know. I really can't relate to that. I don't know where his head is, man.''

The Jets are likely stuck with Sanchez and his $8.25-million guaranteed salary for next season. It's clear if the Jets are to compete with three-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady and coach Bill Belichick's Patriots in the AFC East, they will need to trade Tebow, add a viable relief pitcher and surround Sanchez with more explosive weapons than general manager Mike Tannenbaum has provided in running back Shonn Greene and receivers Jeremy Kerley, Stephen Hill and Chaz Schilens.

Sanchez and the Jets looked like clowns, and it doesn't appear things will get better anytime soon - or at least until the expected housecleaning in the offseason.

(Knucklehead runner-up: Whoever is in charge of the sprinklers in Miami.)

Game balls

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton further justified team president Mike Brown's 2011 trade of Carson Palmer to the Oakland Raiders by throwing three touchdowns in a 34-10 thumping of Palmer's sorry team Sunday. Dalton, in his second year, has led the 6-5 Bengals to three straight wins, tying the fading Pittsburgh Steelers for the AFC's final wild-card berth after leading Cincinnati to the playoffs his rookie season.

What bad ankle? Julio Jones was supposed to be a question mark for Sunday's showdown against the hot-running NFC South rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Instead, the second-year Atlanta Falcons speed receiver came up big in his team's 24-23 squeaker with six catches for a career-best 147 yards, including an 80-yard touchdown hook-up with Matt Ryan.

Robert Griffin III has vaulted from the rookie of the year conversation into the league's MVP discussion while showing the dramatic difference the right franchise quarterback can make for the Washington Redskins. Washington (5-6) matched its win total from last season with a 38-31 Thanksgiving victory over the Dallas Cowboys. RGIII provided the line of the week when he was asked about coach Mike Shanahan comparing him to Paul Newman's character in the 1967 film Cool Hand Luke.

Asked if he knew who Cool Hand Luke was, the 22-year-old Griffin replied, laughing, "He must be pretty cool.''

The San Francisco 49ers defense posted two scores to help Colin Kaepernick settle in as the team's newly anointed starting quarterback. Linebacker Ahmad Brooks returned a Drew Brees interception 50 yards and safety Donte Whitner raced 42 yards with another pickoff in San Francisco's 31-21 win. It marked the first time a 49ers defense returned two interceptions in a game since 1995.

Eli Manning had gone 12 quarters without a touchdown, raising questions about a tired arm. But the bye week came at just the right time for the rejuvenated two-time Super Bowl winner. He fired three touchdown passes in Sunday night's 38-10 torching of the Green Bay Packers. This is the time of year Manning and coach Tom Coughlin's 7-4 team go on those post-Thanksgiving runs. Maybe sooner than usual this time.

Offensive player of the week: Andre Johnson

With nine receptions for 188 yards against the Detroit Lions, the Houston Texans wideout rang up the most back-to-back receiving yards in league history. Johnson followed up his 14-catch, 273-yard detonation against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 11 by trumping Detroit's Calvin Johnson, who had eight catches for 140 yards in Houston's Thanksgiving win.

"Andre is rolling right now,'' coach Gary Kubiak said. "He's got confidence, he's playing his tail off, he's healthy and he's back in the best condition I've seen him in in three years.''

Defensive player of the week: Jerrell Freeman

With his ailing coach, Chuck Pagano, watching from owner Jim Irsay's luxury suite, the first-year Indianapolis Colts linebacker lived up to his "Baby Ray'' nickname. That is, "Baby Ray'' Lewis, whom Pagano coached when he was the Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator. The Colts leading tackler was all over the Lucas Oil Stadium turf, recording 16 stops (three for loss) and a sack in a win against the Buffalo Bills.

Special teams player of the week: Phil Dawson

The Cleveland Browns kicker remains perfect this season, 21-for-21, after hitting 28- and 32-yard field goals to help down the Pittsburgh Steelers 20-14.

Unsung hero: T.Y. Hilton

The Colts speed receiver/returner has spent this season in the shadow of fellow rookie Andrew Luck, not to mention veteran receiver Reggie Wayne. But on Sunday, Hilton returned a punt 75 yards for one touchdown and caught an 8-yard scoring pass from Luck to key a 20-13 win. Hilton has caught a team-best five touchdowns, producing four of those scores in the past two games.

Major disappointment: Charlie Batch

There's a reason Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin turned to Byron Leftwich rather than 15th-year veteran Batch last week against the Baltimore Ravens when Ben Roethlisberger sustained rib and shoulder injuries. Though many in Pittsburgh were clamoring for Batch, he looked all of 37 years old in throwing three interceptions against Cleveland. Batch's botches, including a pair of fourth-quarter pickoffs, were part of an eight-turnover implosion - most by a team since the 2001 St. Louis Rams.

Asked about Batch's performance, Tomlin said flatly, "Not good enough.''

Major funk: Seattle Seahawks

They fancy themselves a playoff team. And yet coach Pete Carroll's 6-5 team owns just one road win after rookie quarterback Ryan Tannehill upstaged Russell Wilson in a 24-21 Miami Dolphins win Sunday. The see-saw Seahawks better start proving they can win away from Century Link Field with the Chicago Bears up Sunday - at Soldier Field. If the Seahawks are good enough to clinch a wild-card berth, they'll be on the road. It will be difficult with two starting cornerbacks, Richard Sherman and Brandon Browner, facing suspensions for Adderall use.

They need to step up

Falcons linebacker Sean Weatherspoon. The sideline-to-sideline playmaker who returned Sunday from a three-game absence following an Oct. 28 ankle injury must keep Saints tight end Jimmy Graham in check Thursday night when the 10-1 Falcons get their shot at avenging their lone loss two weeks ago against New Orleans.

Ben Roethlisberger. With a Sunday rematch against the AFC North-leading Ravens looming, the 6-5 Steelers are tied with the Bengals, their playoff hopes hinging on Roethlisberger's ribs healing quickly. There appears to be that chance given Big Ben's pain tolerance and the fact the Steelers are playing for their playoff lives.

Redskins secondary. RGIII will need a defensive backfield prone to surrendering big pass plays to come up big against Eli Manning and his Giants weapons next Monday night.